Friday, July 19, 2013

Vanilla Raspberry Semifreddo

If you
love the light airiness of mousse and the creaminess of ice cream, then you’ll
love the combination of the two, the Italian semifreddo. It’s one of
those desserts that doesn't require much effort to prepare and makes a nice presentation for
a crowd.

We appear
to be deep into a summer heat wave across much of the nation and reaching out
in search of something cold to refresh is the order of the day. Ice cream fills the bill beautifully but if
you don’t have an ice cream maker, an Italian semifreddo scented with vanilla
and rippled with crushed and sugared raspberries is a great way to cool down.

The base
for this semifreddo is cream cheese with whipped egg whites and whipped cream folded
in for more volume. Vanilla is the base flavor and fresh raspberries give it a bright
edge of tartness and color.

If you’ve
been reading my blog for any length of time, you know I usually favor pastries and desserts that have both flavor
and simplicity in equal measure. A bit
of challenge is always important but I think for the most part, people tend to
like unfussy preparations and simple presentations and I usually find myself
striving to find this balance. I think this semifreddo is a perfect example.

Bench notes:

-When lining the loaf pan,
place a strip of parchment on top of the plastic to create a smoother surface. If
you don’t have parchment, once you've unmolded it, you can use a warm knife or
metal spatula to smooth the creases.

- The more you handle heavy
cream after it’s been whipped, the stiffer it becomes. So whip the cream just until soft peaks form. This means the cream should have a soft lilt that is droopy. If you go too far, the cream will be grainy and worsen as you fold it into the other ingredients.

- The meringue should be
beaten to a stiff peak, which means it should stand up firmly without falling over.

- The 1/4 cup sugar used with the raspberries in the semifreddo seems sweet but it helps to
prevent the fruit from becoming too icy when frozen.

- Rather
than layering the raspberries, swirl them in for a different effect.

- As always, exercise caution when using raw egg whites. They should not be served to small children, pregnant women or individuals who are at risk due to compromised immune systems.

Vanilla Raspberry Semifreddo

Makes 6 –
8 servings

12 oz
fresh raspberries, divided

1/4 cup (1
3/4 oz) sugar

4 oz
cream cheese @ room temperature

2
tablespoons (26 grams) sugar

1/4
teaspoon vanilla extract

3 large
egg whites (3 oz) @ room temperature

pinch
salt

1/4 cup (1
3/4 oz) sugar

1 cup (8
oz) cold heavy cream

2
tablespoons (26 grams) sugar

1/2
teaspoon vanilla extract

Line an 8
1/2” x 4 1/2” loaf pan with plastic wrap, leaving a 4” long overhang on each
side. You can also place a strip of
parchment paper on top of the plastic to help form a smoother finish.

Place
two-thirds of the raspberries (9 oz) in a bowl with 1/4 cup of sugar and mash coarsely
with a fork. Set aside.

Beat the
cream cheese with 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla until smooth. Set aside.

Whip the
egg whites with a small pinch of salt until they are opaque and hold soft
peaks. Slowly add 1/4 cup sugar a little
bit at a time, increasing speed to high.
Beat until meringue holds stiff, glossy peaks. Set aside.

Whip the
chilled cream with 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla just
until it holds soft peaks.

Using a
rubber spatula, gently fold the meringue into the whipped cream. Then fold this into the cream cheese mixture
until smooth. Pour a third into the
prepared loaf pan, then add a layer of half the
raspberries. Repeat the process and end
with the cream mixture. Smooth and level
out the surface. Cover the top with the parchment
(if using) and overhanging plastic wrap and place in your freezer until firm, about 6
– 8 hours or overnight.

To serve,
combine the remaining 3 oz raspberries with sugar, to taste. Run
a thin knife or small metal spatula around the edges of the loaf pan to loosen.
Unwrap the plastic and parchment (if using) from around the top of the pan.
Place a serving plate on top of the pan and invert. Pull off the pan and carefully peel off the
wrapping. Cut into slices and serve immediately
with the extra raspberries.

3 comments:

Anonymous
said...

All of the recipes sound great and picture presentations have been fantastic for the past 4 weeks. We finally have a break from the intense heat in NYC; I think I am going to have to bake one of these desserts tonight! Love to check in and see what you have been baking. Cheers! Eileen

Hi! Your semifreddo recipe was nominated as one of the "Best 300 Semifreddo Recipes on the Net". To vote for it, please visit http://easyitalianrecipes.org/dessert-recipes/best-300-italian-semifreddo-recipes-on-the-net-vote-for-your-favorite/ - your recipe is positioned at #35 (random order).